Duomo / Galleria

Room Mate Giulia

★★★★★

Room Mate Giulia is the hotel to choose if you want to stay right by the Duomo, enjoy Milanese design and spend a little less than at the five-star hotels around the corner. It opened in a late nineteenth-century building on Via Silvio Pellico, a short street between the Piazza del Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and its interiors are the work of Patricia Urquiola, the Spanish-born designer who has spent her career in Milan and is one of the most celebrated figures in contemporary furniture and interior design. She treated the hotel as a love letter to the city's design culture: the public spaces mix pastel colours, terrazzo, velvet, mirrors, geometric patterns and pieces from great Italian design brands, and the effect is cheerful and theatrical rather than minimalist. There are 85 rooms, each with Urquiola's signature mix of soft colours, bold patterns and well-chosen furniture, and they are comfortable and well thought out, if not always large; the building's historic layout means room sizes vary, so it is worth paying attention to categories when booking. The Room Mate brand, a Spanish group known for friendly service and a relaxed style, adds touches that matter to travellers: breakfast is served until noon, which suits late nights at the aperitivo bars, and the staff are helpful with recommendations. There are also spa services. But the real luxury here is the address: you can be inside the Duomo or on its terraces within minutes of stepping out of the door, and the Galleria, La Scala and the fashion streets are all close by.

The location could hardly be more central. Via Silvio Pellico runs alongside the Galleria, so the cathedral square, the Galleria arcades and La Scala are all a few minutes' walk away, and the Duomo metro station, served by the red and yellow lines, connects you quickly to Centrale station for day trips and to the rest of the city. Brera and the Quadrilatero della Moda are within fifteen minutes on foot. As in any central hotel, the surrounding streets are busy with visitors during the day, but they quieten down in the evening.

Living in it: expect a stylish, upbeat stay rather than the hushed formality of a grand hotel. The design is a talking point, and the common areas are pleasant places to linger. Rooms vary in size and outlook, so read the descriptions carefully, and if you are sensitive to noise, ask for a room away from the street. Breakfast until noon is a genuine bonus. The hotel is a good choice during Design Week, when it fits the mood of the city, but book well ahead because demand is intense.

Who it suits: design lovers, couples, friends travelling together and first-time visitors who want to walk everywhere. It is a good-value way to stay in the very centre of Milan, though rates still rise steeply during fashion weeks and Design Week. For a family-run alternative of similar price on the other side of the Duomo, look at the Hotel Spadari al Duomo; for full five-star service on the same block, the Park Hyatt.